Durandal
:Blazing Blade redirects here, you may be looking for Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. Durandal (デュランダル, Dyurandaru), the Blazing Blade or sword of sacred fire (烈火の剣, Rekka no Ken lit. Sword of Raging Fire), is the legendary weapon wielded by the Champion Roland during The Scouring. As with the other legendary weapons, Durandal is effective in slaying dragons and their distant cousins, wyverns. In Fire Emblem Heroes, Durandal appears as an exclusive weapon skill with two variants, Durandal in possession of Eliwood and the Blazing Durandal (烈剣デュランダル, Retsu ken Dyurandaru) in possession of Roy (Brave Heroes). History The Scouring Durandal's origins are mysterious, but what is known is that the sword was wielded by Roland, one of the Eight Heroes who partook in the purging of the dragons during The Scouring. Although used to defend humanity against the dragons, it was theorized that Durandal and the other legendary weapons were responsible for distorting the elements within the atmosphere and causing The Ending Winter. The war eventually ended when the Demon Dragon Idunn was sealed away by Hartmut. Similar to the Binding Blade, Durandal was also sealed away, albeit in a cave north of Ostia, alongside ephemeral fragments of the souls of Georg and a few chosen soldiers who guarded the blade. Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade The seal was eventually disturbed by Eliwood and his companions, seeking the legendary blade in order to vanquish the Dark Druid Nergal. Georg and the guardians engage Eliwood's group to judge their worth. Upon being defeated by Eliwood and a few of his trusted allies, Georg realized that Eliwood and his compatriot Hector were descendants of Roland and that Eliwood bore a striking resemblance to his ancestor. Durandal was then bequeathed to Eliwood by Roland's spirit. Upon exiting the cave, Eliwood unwittingly triggered its dragon-slaying powers when Ninian appeared in her true ice dragon form. After she breathed her last, a bereaved Eliwood could not bring himself to wield the weapon when Nergal's morphs infiltrated Castle Ostia, out of fear of the blade's bloodlust. After resolving to avenge Ninian, Eliwood later used the blade in battle against Nergal, the resurrected morphs of their deadliest foes, and a Fire Dragon Nergal summoned in his final, vengeful moments. After the Dragon is defeated, the blade was returned to its original resting place and sealed, albeit without its former guardians. Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade After rescuing Hector's daughter, Lilina, from a traitorous Ostian general, Roy and the Lycian Army hasten to the tomb of Roland. Upon defeating a group of bandits that had settled within the cave, the Lycians unearth Durandal and use it in their fight against Bern and the Manaketes summoned by the enemy host. The sword, when gathered together alongside its other divine brethren, linked with the hallowed energies contained within the cores of the weapons to create a ray of light that unsealed the fabled Dragon Temple, where Idunn, Brunya, and Jahn resided. The residents therein prepared to exterminate humanity, seeking to return Elibe to the Dragons. The blade's fate after Idunn's defeat is unknown, although it is likely that it was sealed once again. Weapon Stats ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade '*'Preference = Eliwood Fire Emblem Heroes Durandal= Sword |16 |1 |400 | |If unit initiates combat, grants Atk +4 during combat. |evolve = Blazing Durandal |cost = 400, 375, 150 }} |-|Upgrades= |-|Blazing Durandal= Sword |16 |1 |400 | |Grants Atk +3. If unit's Atk > foe's Atk, grants Special cooldown charge +1 per unit's attack. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.) }} |-|Upgrades= |-|Ardent Durandal= Sword |16 |1 |400 | |Grants Atk+3. At start of turn grants 【Bonus Doubler】to ally with the highest Atk. 【Bonus Doubler】Grants bonus to Atk/Spd/Def/Res during combat current bonus on each of unit's stats. Calculates each stat bonus independently. }} Item Locations Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade |Event |Ch. 8x - The sword will be passed into the hands of Roy's army at the end of the chapter. |} Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade |Inventory |Athos |} Trivia *Durandal is featured in front of Armads on the title screen of ''The Blazing Blade. *When equipped by Eliwood, Durandal causes him to assume a fighting style completely different from what he is normally accustomed to, due to its large size. When in battle the song Blessing of the Eight Generals will play, in emphasis of the blade's power, legacy, and role in ending Nergal's madness. *In the beta version of The Blazing Blade, the sprite designed for Durandal is much shorter in length and more slender width. In addition to this, the sword is not bound to Eliwood, as Lyn is also able to wield it, complete with a unique attack animation that shows its heavyweight nature. In the final game, while Lyn is unable to wield Durandal, Hector mentions to Oswin after Cog of Destiny that the sword they plan to obtain is to be used by either Eliwood or Lyn. *If Eliwood wields Durandal in his unpromoted form, no special animation will play when he fights. *Durandal appears to be a claymore. *In Fire Emblem Heroes, Durandal has the Death Blow 2 skill built into it, likely alluding to the +5 Strength that Durandal comes with in-game. **In addition, Roy (Brave Heroes) wields a Blazing Durandal, likely inspired by Senri Kita's artwork for Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher). Etymology According to myths of the French medieval period, Durandal (or Durindana) is the name of the iconic sword wielded by the French Paladin Roland, mightiest of the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne. According to the famous French medieval poem "La Chanson de Roland" (The Song of Roland), the sword once belonged to Hector of Troy, and contains within its hilt several sacred Christian relics: the tooth of Saint Peter, the blood of Saint Basil, a lock of hair of Saint Denis (patron saint of France), and a shard of the raiment of the Virgin Mary. At the end of "La Chanson de Roland," Roland attempts to destroy Durandal as he lays dying in Roncesvalles Pass to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Basque pagans. The attempt proved futile as the act of smashing the sword against the canyon wall instead yielded a gargantuan crack - known as "La Breche de Roland" (Roland's Breach) - within the Pyrenees mountain range between France and Spain. Gallery File:Knightlord.gif|Eliwood wielding Durandal in The Blazing Blade. File:FEH Durandal.png|In-game sprite of Durandal from Heroes, prior to its updated depiction. File:Blazing Durandal.png|In-game sprite of the Blazing Durandal as well as the updated sprite of Durandal from Heroes. FEH Ardent Durandal.png|In-game sprite of the Ardent Durandal from Heroes. Category:Character-Exclusive Weapons Category:Legendary Weapons